Brick’s Blog

     Did you know that Richmond once had its own U.C.L.A? That’s it in the picture left. Yes, it was an institution of higher learning. It didn’t have great basketball teams, but I’d wager a virtual who’s who of Richmond attended this intitution. 

     Think you know what it is? Be the first to correctly post your answer and I’ll send you a Blockbuster or Starbucks gift card. It’s my son’s 17th birthday and I’m feeling generous.

     Well,  hush my mouth. Yesterday’s post concerning Joe’s Inn winning 2 categories in Richmond magazine’s Best and Worst edition requires an edification on my part.

FYI: Readers — not Richmond magazine staff — vote on the Best and Worst winners by ballot. No one here is related to or paid by Joe’s Inn, and finally, the Bon Air location also has an active takeout and breakfast business.

Thanks,
Kate Andrews
Richmond magazine associate editor

    I appreciate the correction, Kate, but I do believe the lady does protest too much. I demand a recount. I think the hanging chad ballots weren’t counted. As I stated yesterday, I am never amazed, aghast, yes; by what Richmonders (your readers) consider good cuisine. And Joe’s Out, it’s in Dogtown. Need I say more. Joe’s did open an oulet in the West End near Innsbrook. It closed.

FYI – The great restaurant that was adjacent to Joe’s on Shields was the The Fan Grill. Their specialty was a 5 oz. club steak cut by the butchers at the old Stanley’s market on Belmont.

     Richmond magazine is out with its annual Best and Worst edition. Someone at Richmond magazine must get fed free, be related to management or ownership, or live on Shields Avenue without transportation or the energy to walk a few blocks for Joe’s Inn to receive not one but two best wins – Best Neighborhood Takeout Joint and Best Place for Weekday Breakfast.  Now I could understand if Joe’s won for Surliest Wait Staff, Most Mediocre Food, or Succeeding for No Explanation. Well, maybe not in that last category, because there’s plenty of other competition (think Crazy Greek, McLean’s, Robin Inn, ad nauseam) in Richmond to make that category a real toss-up, but I am never amazed by what Richmonders considers a good restaurant.

     Does anyone remember what really great restaurant was adjacent to Joe’s on Shields Avenue? Even better do you remember what their "special" was?

     This Sunday, August 13th, will be the 23rd Ukrop’s Carytown Watermelon Festival. The Watermelon Festival is largest one day musical event in Richmond with over a 100 performances by local groups and musicians. Here’s what Sunday’s music schedule is for the 10 stages that will be aligned along West Cary Street. 

     But music isn’t the only thing the Watermelon Festival offers. Originally conceived to be a sidewalk sale during  the slow retail days of August, the festival has grown to such an extent that West Cary Street is now closed from Thompson Street to the Boulevard during the festival hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. In addition to the normal eclectic shops found in Carytown, numerous street vendors are added. Watermelon is sold for a $1 a serving with all watermelon sales going to charity. And since the dog days of August are typically in force during the festival, the watermelon is a perfect respite from the heat. Parking is available along the side streets leading into Carytown and also at the 2 municipal lots at Crenshaw and Colonial Avenues. 

     Here’s one I bet you didn’t know. That’s the Robert E. Lee Monument at Lee Circle on historic Monument Avenue in dear old Richmond, Virginia.  The Lee Monument, as well as monuments to J.E.B. Stuart, Jefferson Davis, and Stonewall Jackson, are located along Monument Avenue (therefore, the name) in a neighborhood presently known as the Fan. The Fan derives it name from the shape of the area. The boundaries for the Fan are Grace Street on the north, Cary Street on the south, Belvidere (or Munroe Park) on the east, and the Boulevard on the west. Beginning at Belvidere, about every 4th block of western progression, another east-west street is added until we reach the Boulevard. 

     The development of this area began in the last 1800′s and in response to the public’s desire for fashionable "West End" addresses. (Ever thought why West Avenue is called West Avenue?) When Lee’s statute was unveiled in 1890, it  was still surrounded by tobacco fields awaiting development. By the 1930′s, this area to the Boulevard had been developed.

     As development westward progressed through the remainder of the 20th Century, (yeah, we, Richmonders, have an insatiable desire to be in the West End), this area on the eastern edge of the "West End" was in need of a new identity. About mid century, the area began to be referred to as "the Fan." And I bet you thought it had always been the Fan?

    Welcome to Richmond, the City with a propensity for shooting itself in the foot; and doing so on a regular basis. See, we built this major toll road from Downtown out to the farthest reaches of Chesterfield County, gave it a name, let 10-15 years go by with everyone using one of these pronunciation as the accepted one, and then suddenly decide we need to practice a little revisionism and endorse the other pronunciation. As John Stossel would say, "Gimme a break."  

     Being the politically correct ultra sensitive real estate broker that I am, I have never had any difficulty with answering this question. Here’s how I handle it. If you live north of the James, then this is the Po’white Parkway. I normally impart this tidbit with as much West End condescension as I can muster and punctuate it with some snide aside like "you know it’s where all those kind of folks live." If you live south of the James, then it is the Pow’hite Parkway. I say this with all the POW I can and with indisputable conviction, while citing no less than Pocahontas’ father, Powhatan, as the justification.

     Hey, genius what do you do when you have a relocation client who is uncertain which side of the river he will call home. Well, just like that ole tar baby who ain’t sayin’ nothin’, I dodge the question as long as possible. But if pressed for an answer, I claim both are wrong. See, there is a 1864 ‘Map of Richmond, VA and Surrounding Country’, which shows a cluster of buildings near the village of Bon Air, which are labeled as the "Pawhite Stop" for trains. Maybe, this was old man White’s place who everyone just called Pa. 

     Excellent question and it all depends on your perspective. Technically, the West End of Richmond begins at Foushee Street in Downtown. See that’s where street addresses start carrying a “West” directional before the street name. If you had asked my grandmother as a child in the 1890’s living in the 800 block of West Franklin, whether she lived in the West End her answer would have been a resounding “yes.” Ask that same question to a resident of 800 block of Franklin today and they’d think you’d stayed out in the sun too long. Nowadays, this area is considered the Fan.

     We, Virginians, are very proud of our history and without provocation, warning, or permission are likely to launch into a history lesson whether you want it or not. Since you’re now living below the Mason-Dixon line, the polite and accepted thing to do is to listen, nod and act interested. We always appreciate it, if you’ll throw in a few "fascinatings" while we are droning on.

     The name of the suburban county that surrounds the City of Richmond north of the James River is Henrico (HEN’-ri-co) not Enrico. Back in 1607 – whenever we are relating one of these history lessons, we like to use the phrase "back in" to begin about every other sentence. If you’re not a history buff and you ever hear a Virginian begin speaking with a "back in", it is your warning that a history lesson is coming. Just like those beeping sounds you hear when a trash truck puts it in reverse, think of "back in‘ in the same way with the same options. You can patiently wait until you don’t hear anymore ‘back ins" or you can quickly change direction and head away from the noise. Your choice, but remember what I said above and about throwing in a few "fascinatings."

     Anyway, back in 1607, Jamestown on the James River had just been settled and was named for the current monarch of England, (tada) James I of England. (Actually, he was James VI of Scotland and the House of Stuart and had, in 1603,  succeeded Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen (wink wink) of the House of Tudor. These are other "fascinating" stories in their own right, but are for another time. Until then, think Bush-Gore 2000 and Madonna.) Back to back in 1606, James I had granted a charter to the Virginia Company of London (VC) to create permanent settlements in the New World. By 1611, the VC was ready for their second endeavor in Virginia and picked a spot further up the James River just below where the future city of Richmond would be. Since the VC had already sufficiently patronized James I  with his own town and a river and hoping for further royal favor, the VC looked to James’ oldest son, Henry, the Prince of Wales. (Tada) Henricus was born; and none to soon, since Henry died in 1612.   

    Henricus is significant in Virginia and America history in that it was here that Pocahontas was converted to Christianity, met John Rolfe, and then married him in 1614. Henricus prospered and thrived until 1622, when it was destroyed in Indian raids led by Opechancanough  (Pocahontas’ uncle). Never rebuilt, it was incorporated into the Shire of Henrico (1634) and subsequently Henrico County (1637). Until 1749, Henrico County included land south of the James River, which is now Chesterfield County. One of the best example of regional coopertation between some of the various municipalties that comprise Richmond is the Henricus Historical Park located just off Route 10 in Chester, Virginia.

     Fascinating, huh?